jarkko wrote:I think it's time to discuss the future of our "Politics" section. There are only a couple of members who are posting there, most of them about Israel, or US politics.
The number of views these messages generate is very limited, although the threads get excessive visibility in the "View new posts" option which is used by most of our members.
I don't want to close the section totally, but we could introduce some other methods. What about merging all new Israel-threads to just one, and all messages about US politics also to one.
Comments and suggestions are welcome!
Politics, Religion, Cultures, Generations, Genders, Responsibilities, Morals and Ethics will all travel down the road of polarisation at some stage. Open discussion and the ability to see the 'ideology,' without letting the odium of 'personality' arise and deflower the purity of clinical thought, is a difficult goal to achieve. Under normal circumstances........... I believe that the members of the Forum would conduct themselves with a mature and respectful demeanour in this specifically, Politically-oriented thread. I would never demand that free speech be muffled at its source. We all have the freedom to air our views on a vast range of topics. And therein lies the problem. Freedom to discuss topics is one thing, however, it requires the use of respecting the ideology pertaining to matters which are national and international. I fear that the thread has become a 'familiar' of the cheapest form of newspaper crassness.
I am loathe to see the thread become a garbage-tip or land-fill site for the worst kind of personal expression.
You all know what I am alluding to and I feel that we have reached a stage when the moderators will have to put their collective 'thinking-caps' on, lest this thread descends into Dante's Rings Of Hell, or they have to 'pull the plug.'
By pulling the plug, we would lose the baby with the bath-water, which would be a sad loss to us all. The baby, of course, being our sensible, sensitive, well-mannered, friendly 'collection of Cohen devotees.'
I have not taken this posting lightly. I would not be pleased to see this thread removed. There are those who believe that it doesn't belong in a Forum dedicated to Leonard Cohen, his poetry, novels, lyrics, music, concerts, and his life. I can understand that stance which they take. It makes perfect sense. Some people believe that it would be well nigh impossible to remove 'Politics' from Leonard's poetry, novels etc. That too makes perfect sense. Many people in this Forum will have memories of times long passed when they took part in 'Debating Societies' at High School and University.
Just such debates broadened minds, young and older, allowing people to understand the need to focus on the issues that were and are germane to the nub of their discussions.
This thread has become a hobby-horse for blinkered, personal affronteries, which do nothing but 'spoil' healthy organic growth of views and discourse. I do not include myself in the squadrons of those under attack. I do however find it extremely difficult to hold any sort of discussion. I know that views have been expressed that perhaps now is the time for the moderators to 'moderate.' I decided to make this request to them as a result of seeing the reaction that has come from several members who genuinely want to bring this thread to a higher standing, or, and I hate this option, to close the Politics Thread down.
That is all I want to say on the matter. I shall not be engaging in any further discussions in this thread unless and until the moderators have decided what to do with it. They have been remarkably democratic in the past and I have full confidence in their judgement. I shall abide by their decision.